Selectman Chairman William Buckley, a vocal opponent of the casino proposed in Milford, said his reason for not signing the agreement with the developer came down to trust.

In a meeting with Daily News Editorial staff, Buckley said he was skeptical in the early stage of the casino proposal before Foxwoods signed on and before it became the $1 billion, 980,000-square-foot project it is today.

“I began the process open-minded, but I was also leery of what might happen to the community if its primary source of funding and business was a casino,” Buckley said.

While Buckley said he worked hard to negotiate the best deal possible, he did not sign the Host Community Agreement going before voters on Nov. 19.

“My concern all along was quality of life,” Buckley said, “but when Foxwoods jumped in, my concern became something very different. Foxwoods has an obligation to convince Milford voters they are trustworthy and reliable people and I don’t think that’s happened.”

Buckley said he paid close attention to Foxwoods’ background when deciding he didn’t want to do business with the casino developers.

“Foxwoods has had some contentious relationships,” said Buckley, noting the casino took the host community in Connecticut to court and broke off a deal with the state police there to use their officers for casino security. He also noted his concerns over the casino’s dealings with their employees, many of whom showed up at hearings in Milford. “One can only assume that’ll be their future behavior.”

He also said he was already skeptical of the project after developer David Nunes met with selectmen in 2008 and first proposed a casino on the property at the intersection of Interstate 495 and Rte. 16.

“David Nunes did nothing for four years, there were a lot of broken promises – to open a storefront, to get to know the community,” Buckley said. “It left me wary of their ability to do anything.”

Buckley said he couldn’t trust all of the promises the developers made in the Host Community Agreement.

“Their ability to make payments is really predicated on future anticipated revenue,” Buckley said. He questioned whether Foxwoods management could produce such revenues, given the company’s financial history. “In essence, Milford would be a creditor … There’s no sure money. Our only refuge is to go to courts.”

Ultimately, Buckley said it wasn’t worth the “risk” of letting the casino come in and destroy the community.

“The size and scope is very large, it has the ability to overwhelm a small community,” Buckley said. “Anytime a business makes up 35 percent of your budget it tends to dominate the financial landscape.”

Buckley said he didn’t buy the Foxwoods studies that there would be no problems with traffic or increase in crime. He said he didn’t have much faith in the town-acquired studies, either, since they were peer reviews of Foxwoods’ work and based on the casino’s fundamental claims.

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“I’m absolutely worried about Milford’s reputation,” Buckley said. “When we go to attract people interested in doing business here or when people are trying to sell their homes here … people might not be interested if they associate us with a casino.”

Based on the history of Foxwoods and the casino industry, Buckley said Milford’s future, if it approves a casino, looks bleak.

“If Milford had a casino in place now, we’d be laying off Milfordians and we’d be struggling to pay their bills,” Buckley said. “Foxwoods has spent millions of dollars telling us they can save us. I can tell you, Milford doesn’t need saving.”

The Daily News ran an article two weeks ago following interviews with selectmen Brian Murray and Dino DeBartolomeis, who both voted for signing the Host Community Agreement with Foxwoods.

Lindsay Corcoran can be reached at 508-634-7582 or lcorcoran@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @LacorcMDN.